Sissy DéBut

Sissy DéBut (born Aug. 8, 1983 in Sugar Grove, NC) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actress and comedian. She has released four albums, had two CMJ radio hits, and has worked with several other artists such as "The Fairytails" and "Girl Down." Sissy is a highly sought after commodity within the GLBT community, and has performed at Gay PRIDE events nationwide. While Ms. DéBut herself is not homosexual, she is a huge advocate for GLBT rights and same-[...] marriage.

Early Years

Sissy was born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains, she lived there with her family until she reached the age of 16 at which point, due to personal differences in their belief system, Sissy moved out of the family home and lived out of her vehicle. Sissy was raised by a strict religious family and while she does not share the same beliefs, she is an outspoken and devout Christian (conforming to no denomination.) Sugar Grove, NC lies within the Appalachin Mountain range in Watauga County, which is where Sissy gets her Native American heritage from, only a stones throw from Cherokee, Sissy is Irish, Sicilian and Native American.

She finished high school and won a Betty Crocker College Scholarship (courtesy of General Mills)for her recipe of a "Cornbread Pied"at which point she went on to obtain a degree in Fine Arts. During her college years Sissy spent most of her time honing her craft with local bands in bars, festivals, colleges, moose lodges and Nascar celebrations. Her and her band "Plywood" were booked for two years on the Nascar circuit and played vintage country tunes to "tailgators" before and after Nascar events. They also opened for artist like EmmyLou Harris, Pam Tillis and The Kinleys.

During this time she recorded and released two albums both of which spawned two Top 40 CMJhits and garnered rave reviews from critics, these albums brought attention to Sissy's music and got her a spot on the bill with artists like Rosanne Cash, and Shelby Lynne. Sissy's biggest hit was a Las Vegas style cover of "Amazing Grace" from her third album "Is It Dry Yet?", which was recording and produce in Charlestown, SC. The success of this song and album, lead Sissy and her band to being one of the most booked independent artist on the East Coast during 2002-2004 Sissy performed over 280 shows (most college campuses and music festivals), during this time she began recording her fourth album "The [...] Songbird Sessions" which garnered her an opening spot at MerleFestMerleFest (a traditional Folk Festival in Wilkesboro, NC.)

Departure from the Carolinas

In 2004 after years of being on the road Sissy decided to relocate to New York City, to attempt a career at theater. She landed supporting roles in Off Broadway productions of "Guess it Right?", Tom Shankman's "Pure Genius!" and T. Whit Hortman's "Darling, If I Told You", none of the parts led to much success, nor did any of the plays have a long life. After being in NYC for 8 months Sissy began to development a depression disorder and was voluntarily sent to rehab for depression, social anxiety disorder (SAD), an Anorexia Nervosa. In rehab Sissy met Mike Hunt (who has worked with Keith Richards, Rodney Crowell and Steve Earl) a fellow singer-songwriter residing in New York City, and the two penned the song "Life is a Wonder" together which was used in Sunkist commercials nationwide and single handily catapulted Sissy out of depression and helped with her symptoms of SAD.

Present

After three years in NYC, Sissy relocated to Los Angeles, CA where she currently resides, in hopes of creating a presences in Hollywood. In 2008 Sissy teamed up with "The FairyTails" (consisting of Maximilliana and Roxy Wood where the trio performed for 6 months in the Sunset Strip Revue "The Black Bird Cabaret." The trio also performer in 2009 at Palms Springs Pride for a Reunion/Farewell performance. Sissy continues to perform live and has been scene rehearsing at Amp Studios in North Hollywood, as she prepares to record her fifth album.

In addition to live musical performances, Sissy also made her comedy debut (no pun intended) at the Comedy store in the summer of 2009, she is currently in the works with a venue in Las Vegas to produce a weekly variety act that will include comedy, music and performance art. To date she has appeared on NBC (where it has been said she was being considered for the "Jack & Karen"/"Karen & Jack" spinoff,) E! Entertainment,Chelsea Lately, MTV2 and Logo(where her paraody of Beyonce's "Ego" was featured", she remains a staple in the GLBT community, donating her time and talents to benefits, campaigns and fundraisers for worthy causes all over the states and Hollywood (Sissy at the launch party of Gun" with actress Maximilliana and Wendy Worthington.

Currently she is in the works with Lilith fair to provide side stage entertainment for their shows and continues to write for her fifth album, which will reunite her with Mike Hunt to produce and release the album under his label Grass Bush Records.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Grove,_North_Carolina
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GLBT
http://www.emmylouharris.com
http://www.pamtillis.com
http://www.rosannecash.com
http://www.shelbylynne.com
http://www.merlefest.org
http://www.nascar.com
http://www.sunkist.com
http://http://www.sissydebut.com